Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Trump Takes All 50 Delegates in South Carolina; Source: Suspect Took Uber Fares Between Killings; Apple Fights Order to Unlock Terrorist's Phone; Interview with Becky Hammon; Island for Trump- Fearing Americans? Aired 6-7p ET

Aired February 21, 2016 - 18:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:00:33] POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: All right. It is 6:00 here on the East Coast. I'm Poppy Harlow. Thanks for being with us.

We want to take to you two live political events happening right now. Bernie Sanders stumping in Greenville, South Carolina, trying to get votes ahead of the Democratic primary next weekend. Marco Rubio in Little Rock, Arkansas, off of his second place finish in South Carolina.

Let's listen in first to Bernie Sanders.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That's right. What happens if she is forced to be separated from that beautiful baby and go back to work to earn enough income to take care of her family? That's right. That is not a family value. That is the opposite of a family value.

(APPLAUSE)

Now, it turns out that all over the world, not only in every industrialized nation and in many poor countries, when women have a baby, they are guaranteed paid family and medical leave.

(APPLAUSE)

Now, if every -- if virtually every other country on earth can do it, so can we. We're going to pass legislation --

(APPLAUSE)

We're going to pass legislation providing three months paid family and medical leave.

(APPLAUSE)

When we talk about the economy, and when we talk about high unemployment, it is clear to me that we --

HARLOW: All right. We will keep monitoring Bernie Sanders there speaking in Greenville, South Carolina.

I want to take you, though, now to Marco Rubio who is speaking about veterans in Little Rock.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: -- conservative as anyone running. I have a 15-year record of turning conservative ideas into conservative policy. I didn't become a conservative two years ago, or a year ago. I'm proud of my record.

I was in the state legislature in Florida. That's a part-time job but we did a lot of good things.

For example, in Florida, I'm not saying this would ever happen, but theoretically, if a private developer would try to come and take your property to build a hotel, theoretically, I'm not saying that would ever happen, but if theoretically a decided to use the power of eminent domain from a government to take your property away from you, to build a hotel, you can't do that in Florida because I passed a law that made that impossible to do in the state of Florida.

(APPLAUSE)

In Florida, we reformed our curriculum. We reformed our curriculum, no through Common Core at the federal level. We did it at the state level, where K-through-12 education matters.

In Florida, we expand the vocational training. You know why? Because we need to be a country that teaches people to work with their hands. We need more welders, and pipe fitters, and plumbers, and electricians, and airplane mechanics.

(APPLAUSE)

At the -- then I was out of politics. Then I ran again -- then I ran for the U.S. Senate. And today, you can fire someone at the V.A. who is a senior executive that is not going a good job because of a law I passed.

Today, a terrorist group named Hezbollah, evil anti-Israeli group, has sanctioned imposed against them because after law we passed.

Today, the Obamacare bailout where they were going to use your taxpayer money to bailout private insurance companies, that bailout is gone because of a law I led the effort to pass.

When I'm president, we're getting rid of the rest of it.

(APPLAUSE)

HARLOW: All right. That's Marco Rubio speaking live in Little Rock, Arkansas. We will continue to monitor that as well.

Donald Trump meantime, the frontrunner right now, celebrating quite a victory, a towering victory in the South Carolina GOP primary, sweeping all of the states 50 delegates. Trump just wrapped up his first rally after that decisive win, speaking this afternoon to supporters in Atlanta. Things got a little intense and then suddenly the lights went out. Look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They were probably sent here so we put them in our jails, because to put them in our jails, they didn't pay the electric bill.

[18:05:03] Oh I like that much better. Oh.

Oh, that's so much better. Those lights were brutal. They come from the dishonest press?

Oh, don't turn them on. Forget it. Better, right? Don't turn them on. Don't turn the lights on. Plus, we save on electricity, right?

And because the lights didn't work, I won't pay the rent, so we get better lighting and we don't pay the rent, right? Right?

No, get those lights off. Off. Turn them off. They are too bright. Turn them off. Turn them off.

Let's go. Ready? Turn off the lights! Turn off the lights! Turn off the lights!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Eventually, Jeremy Diamond, the lights came back on. Didn't they? And I know that you just spoke with Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski about what's ahead, the upcoming schedule.

What did you learn?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So, I spoke with Corey Lewandowski just earlier and he was talking about how they have an aggressive schedule coming up. You know, Super Tuesday, there are so many states that are going to vote that day. So, Trump is going to be crisscrossing the country.

He's off to Las Vegas tomorrow. Later in the week, he'll be in Texas. Right now, he's in Georgia, of course. So, a busy schedule coming up.

As for as any changes, you wouldn't say if there is anything they feel they need to fix or improve on, but he did say they are always looking to improve their ground game or operation. But he also took a little bit of a dig at Ted Cruz's campaign, which consistently touted the fact they had the strongest ground game in South Carolina and Corey Lewandowski telling me that, well, it didn't really turn out that way with Trump coming out with a win and Ted Cruz coming out in third place.

HARLOW: All right. Jeremy Diamond, live for us there in Atlanta where that rally just wrapped up -- thank you so much.

Let's continue to talk about this, Donald Trump's strong showing in Iowa. Big win in New Hampshire. Big win in South Carolina. It's causing everyone to look at history and to say, that never before has someone in a GOP primary won New Hampshire in South Carolina and not gone on to take the nomination.

Let's talk about this. A lot more. With me now is former Republican senator from New Hampshire and national campaign trail for John Kasich, John Sununu, who not to be confused with his father.

Thank you so much for being with me.

JOHN SUNUNU (R), FORMER NEW HAMPSHIRE SENATOR: Great to be here. Hard it to make that mistake. Hard to confuse the two of us. We're a little different.

HARLOW: Right. Well, good to see you. Thanks for joining us.

Look, Governor Kasich fared well in New Hampshire, right? Came in second there, was hoping to get the same momentum in South Carolina. He didn't. He came in fight, 7.6 percent of the vote, actually behind Bush. Bush who came at 7.8 percent and Bush suspended his campaign.

Let's just step back and forget about how do you beat Donald Trump, so far the front-runner in this, to how do you beat the perception that low numbers like that equal, should you pull out of the race?

SUNUNU: Well, look, it's actually about growing the vote. John Kasich did better than anyone expected in South Carolina.

We stun people. We upset the pundits in New Hampshire and had a great second place finish. He has grown his vote, improved poll standings in North Carolina, Michigan, in state after state.

And so, the key is really to hit each one of these primaries and win delegates. Ted Cruz didn't win any delegates yesterday. Marco Rubio didn't win any delegates yesterday and obviously neither did John Kasich.

But we are moving on to a list of March 1st primaries, where Kasich has the opportunity to not just win delegates but to win the state. Massachusetts, Vermont, Virginia, Minnesota, then Illinois, Michigan and Ohio.

Frankly, I don't think you can name a state other than Florida that Marco Rubio has a chance of winning.

HARLOW: So, let's --

SUNUNU: And was mentioned earlier in your break, one other point, Ted Cruz is going to have a real tough time breaking out of that evangelical voter base where he hasn't done that well. So, this is wide open. It is a jump ball. And John Kasich is still the candidate that does best against Hillary Clinton in every head to head poll.

HARLOW: Let's listen to you, you brought up Marco Rubio, right? Let's listen to this part of his speech last night really calling this is a three-man race.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBIO: But after tonight, this has become a three-person race and we will win the nomination.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: He says this is a three-person race. And it sounds like to me, it is very clear that you and the Kasich camp really say, forget history here.

SUNUNU: OK --

HARLOW: Forget history here and forget the fact that never before has someone won New Hampshire and South Carolina and not gone on to get the nomination. What's so different this time?

SUNUNU: Well, as you point out, this is not a normal election. There is not following history in any way, shape or form. So throw that out the window.

Of course, Marco Rubio would like to make it a race between him and Donald Trump.

[18:10:02] Ted Cruz was just on here, saying it should be a race between him and Donald Trump. John Kasich would say it should be a race between me and Donald.

And the fact of matter is, a race between John Kasich and Donald Trump wouldn't be a contest. John Kasich would win going way. We've got a ways to go --

HARLOW: What tells you --

(CROSSTALK)

SUNUNU: Wait, wait -- we have a ways to go.

HARLOW: Don't we have to listen to the voters?

SUNUNU: If you look at the polls, a majority of Republican voters say they will never vote for Donald Trump. He really hasn't shown an ability to grow his vote above that 30 percent. So, we've got to go from a four-person race to maybe a three or two-person race.

How does that happen? We've got these March 1st primary states, the Super Tuesday. Where John Kasich will win delegates in Massachusetts and Vermont and Virginia and Minnesota and Tennessee and all of these states, because that's the way they are set up. They're primaries that are war delegates proportionately and we know John Kasich has been growing his vote in every one of these states.

Then we go -- then we go to the Midwest. You think John Kasich will do well in Michigan, in Illinois, in Ohio? You bet. And that's a winner-take-all state.

So, let's see exactly where we are on March 15th. Let the voters have their say and John Kasich, he's the one person in this race what has balanced budgets and cut taxes. Created 400,000 jobs in Ohio. Whose taxes has Ted Cruz cut? Nobody's. Kasich rolled back

regulations for small businesses. Whose regulations did Marco Rubio cut? Nobody's.

HARLOW: Let's look at this map. I have Super Tuesday states up there. You talk about Minnesota.

SUNUNU: Sure.

HARLOW: You talk about others that aren't on Super Tuesday. You talk about Michigan. His home state Ohio. You talk about doing well.

That's exactly what he said this morning when he was on "Face the Nation".

Define doing well for us. What does that look like to your camp?

SUNUNU: Oh, within 20, 25, 30 percent of delegates. Again, Super Tuesday ones on your map, I don't see it but I know it. They're Massachusetts, Vermont, Virginia, Minnesota, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, those are all states where we're going to do well and win delegates.

Then the ones that -- the other ones you mentioned, Michigan, Illinois, those come a week later. Then Ohio on March 15th, winner- take-all. And Kasich will win all of the delegates in Ohio.

That is a path to take the delegate lead if not narrowing this down to a two-person race that John Kasich will win. Look, it's about someone who can get the stuff done. Doesn't just talk about it.

He has cut taxes. He doesn't just talk about it. He's balanced budget. He's privatized services. He's taken money out of Washington and doesn't lead on the job --

HARLOW: I want to jump in here, I want to jump in here, Senator Sununu, because I want to get your take on something that just crossed the news just into us. That today, Governor Kasich signed this bill, prohibiting the state, his state, from contracting for health services as a state with any organization that performs or promotes abortions. What that does is that blocks government funding to Planned Parenthood.

So, Planned Parenthood just came out, their president, Cecile Richards, in a statement, and said, quote, "John Kasich is proudly eliminating care for expected mothers and newborns, he leaving thousands without vital STD and HIV testing, slashing a program to fight domestic violence and cutting access to essential, basic health care."

What does Governor Kasich hope to accomplish here with signing this?

SUNUNU: Look, it is the right thing given the mistakes that clearly have been made within the Planned Parenthood organization. That's John Kasich doing the right thing. Other conservatives, Ted Cruz, for example, talks about doing this. John Kasich actually did it because it is the right thing to do.

Don't think for a minute that people who need services in Ohio aren't going to get access. That's the one thing John Kasich has done.

HARLOW: Where are they going to get -- where are they going to get that access?

SUNUNU: Health service providers all over the state that will step up to do the right thing. John Kasich has cut taxes, balanced budgets in Ohio, but has made it a commitment not to leave anyone behind.

You have seen him on the stump. You've seen the passion with which he delivers the message and he will continue to do it. But that doesn't mean you should provide funding to organizations that simply have done the wrong thing, that have been caught in the midst of scandal, and until those issues are resolved, this is what the people of Ohio want to be done. They made this decision through their representatives and John Kasich is standing up for them.

HARLOW: Former Senator John Sununu, I appreciate you coming on.

SUNUNU: My pleasure.

HARLOW: Coming up next, new and disturbing layer of a story we have been following. Six people killed in a shooting rampage in Michigan. And now what we found out is that the suspect, an Uber driver, was actually picking up passengers between gunning down victims.

[18:15:04] We will tell you the latest on that.

Also, the FBI wants Apple to help crack down and crack into, hack into, the iPhone of the San Bernardino terrorist. Apple says no. Are they standing in the way of learning key fact about the attacks? How high will this fight go? Next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: The Michigan man in jail tonight accused of the unthinkable and seemingly random killing spree. The 45-year-old is accused of fatally shooting six people in Kalamazoo, Michigan. And to add to that horror, a source tells CNN that this man was picking up Uber passengers during his seven-hour killing rampage overnight.

Nick Valencia is live in Kalamazoo, Michigan, for us tonight.

What did we know about the suspect? What do we know about the victims?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is sickening when you think about the details, Poppy. The source with knowledge of the investigation tell us that this suspect was an Uber driver, casually carrying out the shooting spree and in between the shooting spree, picking up passengers as an Uber rider. In fact, he was actively picking up passengers when he was arrested around 12:30 by police, taken to custody without incident, described as even tempered. It was just a couple of hours ago that he was interrogated by officials here. They say, even still, they have no motive. And what's really unsettling for investigators, what's really leaving them scratching their heads is just how seemingly normal this suspect was. They described him as an average Joe, with no criminal history, no record, he wasn't on the radar.

And certainly, no indication he would have carried out something like this. Six people left dead as a result of this shooting rampage. Just senseless violence here in a community that is relatively safe -- Poppy.

HARLOW: Also, the reports about this 14-year-old girl, Nick, who was originally reported dead. Do we have an update on her condition?

VALENCIA: Yes. Six people dead, eight people shot, two of them still in the hospital.

[18:20:01] One of them, a mother with three children. She was the first to be shot in the apartment complex as suspect was driving by. She is in critical condition but expected to survive.

Police, though, they're really worried about there 14-year-old, described to be in grave condition. Very, very critical at this point. She was in surgery earlier this morning, but investigators still very concerned about the prognosis of that little girl.

As for as suspect is concerned, we understand they did search his residence. They were able to seize a semiautomatic handgun from him when they arrested him. After a search of residents, they found even more weapons to try to figure out if any of the weapons were tied to the spree that happened on Saturday.

Of course, this suspect is expected to face murder charges. He will make his first court appearance sometime Monday afternoon here in Kalamazoo -- Poppy.

HARLOW: All right. Nick Valencia live for us this evening there in Kalamazoo -- thank you for that. I appreciate it.

Coming up next, switching gears to this story. You've heard a lot about it -- 94 million of you in this country use iPhones. Well, Apple CEO Tim Cook is arguing he is helping protect your privacy by taking on the FBI. We will tell you all about it straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: All right. The FBI is demanding Apple help them hack into the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone. Apple has refused that request. And now, Congress has called both Apple CEO Tim Cook and FBI Director James Comey to testify.

[18:25:04] There are at least 94 million iPhone users just here in the United States, and according to Consumer Intelligence Research, well, that's the number. It is pretty huge. That's about a third of the U.S. population. It's those people's privacy that Cook says he is trying to protect.

Our Laurie Segall has more.

LAURIE SEGALL, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Poppy.

Well, we've heard the debate before and now we are hearing it again -- privacy versus security.

But this particular case has the ability to set major precedent.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEGALL (voice-over): It's a move Apple CEO Tim Cook is calling unprecedented and a threat to the security of customers. A judge is ordering Apple to help the FBI break into a cell phone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters. The FBI is asking to disable an iPhone security feature that locks out users and erases the phone's data after the wrong password is entered ten times.

Cook says that would mean building a new operating system with the potential to unlock any iPhone. He says if the FBI could use it as a backdoor into your iPhone, hackers could too.

He's spoken openly about this in the past.

TIM COOK, CEO, APPLE: There have been people that suggest that we should have a backdoor. But the reality is if you put a backdoor in, that backdoor is for everybody, for good guys and bad guys.

INTERVIEWER: Help me understand how you get to the government's dilemma.

COOK: I don't believe that the trade-off here is privacy --

INTERVIEWER: Versus security.

COOK: -- versus national security.

SEGALL: The White House spokesman disputed it would open the door to all phones.

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: They are not asking Apple to redesign its product or to create a new backdoor to one of their products. They're simply asking for something that would have an impact on this one device.

SEGALL: Using other means like cell phone tower data, the FBI has been able to extract location data from the shooter's phone. They are hoping to gain more valuable information.

But security experts say this particular move could have implications for regular civilians.

DAVID KENNEDY, SECURITY RESEARCHER: This basically reduces the security over all iPhone devices and platforms and wouldn't necessarily be the most secure platform out there today. SEGALL: Putting Apple in the position of choosing between the fight

of terrorism and the fight against hackers. Given Apple's choice, it's not only facing a legal fight but a reputation battle that's even hit the campaign trail.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: But to think that Apple won't allow us to get into her cell phone, who do they think we are? Now, we have to open it up. This is one case and this is a case that certainly we should be able to get into the phone.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you passed a law in the U.S. that says we don't allow encryption and there has to be backdoors, there's already existing software that will continue to remain in place and we can't control what foreign countries, what's designed in other countries.

SEGALL: Bringing center stage on an election year a debate on privacy versus protection, more relevant than ever in the digital age.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SEGALL: Poppy, Apple is granted a three day extension. So, they until next Friday to issue a response. But the fight actually turn up a notch on Friday. The government filed a motion to compel Apple to comply to help access that iPhone used by the San Bernardino shooter.

Now, in that motion, the government accused Apple of resisting a judge's order out of concern for its business model and public brand marketing strategies.

So, I can guarantee you one thing, Poppy, this will be a fight to watch out for.

HARLOW: A huge fight that some say could go all the way up to the Supreme Court.

Laurie Segall reporting for us -- thank you so much.

Coming up next, you're going to want to hear from next guest, because the Apple is gaining some unlikely ally. I will speak live with the conservative political appointee from the George W. Bush White House who says that Apple should not comply. What does he say to his fellow conservatives, especially those running for president who did do not agree with him? Next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:31:48] HARLOW: Donald Trump is weighing in on the fight pitting Apple against the FBI. This weekend he tweeted, quote, "I use both iPhone and Samsung. If Apple doesn't give information to authorities on the terrorists, I'll be the one only using Samsung until they give info."

He went on to call for a boycott of Apple until the company complies with the FBI's request. Let's talk about this big picture through the conservative lens.

Joining me now is Michael Barnes, conservative commentator, also political appointee in the George W. Bush White House and a corporate law attorney who you advise, sir, clients on this exact issue of privacy.

We heard from Trump. We heard from Rubio in Laurie's piece just ahead of you. Here's what some of the other Republican presidential candidates have said about this fight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We should have done more to prevent that attack, but after the fact we ought to be using every tool we can.

DR. BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Right now we're faced with tremendous threats and individuals, radical, jihadists, who want to destroy us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: All right. In addition, John Kasich told the Associated Press, quote, "I don't think it's an example of government overreach to say that we had terrorists here on our soil and we've got to understand more detail about who they may have been communicating with."

You do not think Apple should comply. You think that the government will abuse this information if they get too much. Walk me through that.

MICHAEL BARNES, FORMER GEORGE W. BUSH WHITE HOUSE APPOINTEE: OK. Well, certainly we hear that the government should use every tool. But there are two issues with that. First, we have that concern that there is no tool because Apple hasn't created a tool for government to get into the backdoor to get this smart phone data. And then additionally there's not the legal tool that a judge can actually use to require Apple to do this.

So if we're going to move in this direction, which might be ultimately what the American public decides to do, there needs at least to be a public discussion and there has not yet been. That needs to go through our political public discourse process, which means that Congress needs to act on this issue not just a federal magistrate in a California court.

HARLOW: When you look at this also, I mean, it's interesting because you are in opposition to frankly a lot of the conservatives, especially those that are running for president right now. What do you think they are missing here?

BARNES: I think they are missing that conservatives and inherently favor the rights of individuals over big government, big data, big religion and big business, right? And so we have the rights of individuals at stake here and the expectations that they have not just with their smart phone data. Things like their deleted photos on their iPhone. And again, as we already heard this affects a third of Americans but also what happens with data in our smart home devices like the baby monitor or your nanny cam or perhaps your smart refrigerator.

We don't know at this point what is happening but Americans need to have the debate, set the rules, and then be prepared to adjust their behavior according to what the rules are. So I don't know how this political process is going to play out but let's at least please have a political process to determine how to proceed.

HARLOW: You know, when you think about this obviously for the families of those murdered in the San Bernardino terrorist attack, it is very, very personal. And you have Eileen Decker, U.S. attorney, her district includes San Bernardino. Here's how she framed the debate.

[18:35:01] She said, quote, "We've made a solemn commitment to the victims and their families that we will leave no stone unturned as we gather as much information and evidence as possible. These victims and their families deserve nothing less."

What do you say to those victims, to their families?

BARNES: I say, of course I'm sorry and we want to do everything that we can within the current laws to be able to help you. But part of what these terrorists intend to do is to change us all. They don't want to just change women. They don't want to just change the rights of gay people or the rights of people who are not following the strictest adherence to their religion. They want to change the entire western culture and the freedoms that are associated with American life.

And the way that they can do that is to get us not to adhere to the existing rule of law. Current law is limited only to companies like AT&T or Verizon, where we know that they have the capabilities to issue wiretap authorities and that their systems of these particular companies must be built in a way that allows the government in. That rule has not been extended yet to the manufacturers of smart phone devices. And so we cannot expect now to extend the law to this particular type of device without having updated the law. So it applies to them.

HARLOW: Do you think that -- I mean, you're an appointee in the Bush White House. Former President George W. Bush. Do you think that your argument here, that you're making, would have won out during your time with the Bush White House?

BARNES: No, I don't. I actually think that we are a little bit oriented too far on the side of security over privacy. And we need to strike a better balance. And what's so great about the leadership of Apple, Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, as well as the companies like Google, Facebook and Twitter, which so many of us use on a daily basis, is that they recognize that consumers have demanded that we have security and privacy protections both. But they are trying to rebalance in favor of privacy. So regardless of what ultimately happens at least we'll be able to

comply and we will have had a debate thanks to this particular type of leadership.

HARLOW: Yes.

BARNES: But remember these companies are more responsive to U.S. consumers than the federal government. The federal government can get their money by taxation.

HARLOW: Interesting point.

BARNES: Right?

HARLOW: Interesting point.

BARNES: But they can't -- they have to earn their money. Right?

HARLOW: Michael --

BARNES: They have to sell products then the government can just tax. So they are more responsive to the consumers than the government.

HARLOW: Fair point. Michael Barnes, thank you so much. I appreciate it.

BARNES: Thank you, Poppy.

HARLOW: Coming up next, she is the former NBA star out to prove that the possibilities are endless.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECKY HAMMON, FIRST FEMALE NBA ALL-STAR COACH: But for me to be the one kind of breaking this glass ceiling, I think I was prepared well for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: My one-on-one sit-down with that rock star, Becky Hammon, on her history making role in the NBA right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:41:49] HARLOW: All right. In this week's "American Opportunity," I sat down with history-making NBA coach Becky Hammon at the NBA All- Star weekend in Toronto where she helped lead the West to victory. The former WNBA star is now the first full-time assistant coach who is a female in the NBA. That is after a storied career on the court herself where she played for 16 seasons. She scored over 5800 points.

So we sat down to talk about the impact women in leadership positions have and also about whether she will be the first female NBA head coach.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She'll be the first woman to ever coach in the NBA All-Star Game this Sunday night. Assistant coach for the U.S. team, Becky Hammon.

HARLOW: You have clearly made history as the first female assistant coach in the NBA and you're making history here at the All-Star game coaching one of the All-Star teams. Did you think you'd be the one pounding on this glass ceiling? That it'd be you?

HAMMON: No. No, I didn't. I was living my dream as a WNBA player. I mean, my whole childhood I grew up wanting to be a professional basketball player. I asked my dad when I was younger if I'd ever be in the NBA and he very politely told me no. And so for me to be the one kind of breaking this glass ceiling, I think I was prepared well for it through all my experiences.

HARLOW: So you work with Gregg Popovich. And here's how he put it. "Our guys just respect the heck out of her." He said you have solid notions about basketball and he went on to say, I don't even look at it as if she is the first female.

And that made me think, Becky. Do you wish more people looked at it the way he does? Just the skill?

HAMMON: I wouldn't be the first one if more people looked at it the way he did. If more people had a think out of the box, don't think traditionally. Because traditionally women have not had a fair shake. Minorities have not had a fair shake. So for a guy to come along and say, I don't really care, she's good at her job. She's got a great basketball mind. To me, this is not even really about me. This is -- Gregg Popovich made this decision.

HARLOW: It's about him.

HAMMON: Yes. Because here's a guy that's a leader, a respected guy in his field, arguably the best coach in the history of basketball, and he says, this person -- he didn't say she. This person knows her stuff.

HARLOW: Yes.

HAMMON: And I want to bring her on board. None of us are having this conversation if he doesn't not care that I was a female.

HARLOW: Do you want to be the first female head coach in the NBA?

HAMMON: Right now it's funny because everybody asks me what's my end game. What do you want to do? And I'm telling everybody right now, like, I'm in a great learning space. What I want to do right now is try and train to become the best coach possible. I can't open doors that aren't open. But if a door opens, I would be happy to walk through it. But again --

HARLOW: So that's a yes?

HAMMON: Yes. HARLOW: NBA commissioner Adam Silver has said he couldn't ask for a

more complete package as far as a former player, a student of the game. I couldn't be prouder of Becky. Does that make you want to achieve even more when you've got the commissioner saying that?

(LAUGHTER)

HAMMON: Those are pretty high praises. And it is humbling in a way, it's very humbling to sit there and say, I'm a girl from South Dakota. Look, I'm a simple kid.

[18:45:02] I mean, I dreamed of the NBA when I was a little girl. I had posters of Michael Jordan, of all the guys. If you're a woman or a man and you have character, it's not, oh, she's a woman. No, that person has character. And I think that's the bigger picture is the character, the heart.

HARLOW: The word you used is ridiculous. It is ridiculous that it is 2016 and you are a first.

HAMMON: Yes. I stand by that statement.

(LAUGHTER)

HARLOW: So how do we make it better by 2026? 10 years from now?

HAMMON: Well, I think it's important that people are hired on they're merits. I don't believe I should be hired because I was a female. I would like to think, and I know, because of the organization I know the person that Gregg Popovich is, I was hired on my merits. And I think as long as people are opened minded, are hired on their merits, because at the end of the day I still need to do a good job. I want to be the best coach I can be, regardless throw everything else out the window. I want to be a great coach.

HARLOW: You said at 5'6" I was smaller and slower than everybody else, I had to survive on my brain. And I'm interested, Becky, in sort of how that grit, that sort of scrappy nature, has helped you get where you sit today.

HAMMON: I think it's probably the biggest reason why I sit here today. I think I came out of the womb five feet. I came out rearing to go, I came out a competitor. I always try to let my successors or people who told me I was too small, told me I was too slow. Told me I wasn't this. I mean, I had a thousand reasons lined up of why I shouldn't be successful. But I always try to make those things better.

HARLOW: That could also work to your advantage, people can underestimate you.

HAMMON: I mean, that's pretty much the story of my life is people underestimating me, which I'm OK with that role.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What kind of example does paying women less set for our sons and daughters?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: President Obama came out a few weeks ago and proposed a rule change that would make big companies show their pay for men and women in equal jobs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: We are proposing to collect and report pay data by race, ethnicity, and gender, from businesses with 100 employees or more.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Do we need the government or companies to mandate something to make this happen?

HAMMON: I hope the government doesn't have to intervene. I think the less the government intervenes the better. That being said, people know their jobs. People know what their companies need. And I think it becomes a very slippery slope that now I get hired because I'm a woman when maybe somebody is more qualified. Because now my business production goes down. Now as it would be, it's a proven statistical fact that with more women in the boardroom companies tend to do better.

HARLOW: They do. The financial results are better.

HAMMON: I mean, that is -- that is a fact. That's across the board. So let's not sit there and just say oh, I'm a woman so you have to hire me. Let's -- like I said, let's produce, let's let the money and the numbers do the talking for themselves.

HARLOW: I'm wondering if you would ever consider leaving the Spurs for a head coaching job in the WNBA.

HAMMON: I can tell you right now it is about learning. It is about being a sponge and soaking everything up. I think that door will open. For me. I'm not necessarily going to say I'm going to work through that door. I can tell you I like the path that I'm on right now in the NBA. The NBA had taught me a lot and I'm looking forward to continuing down that road.

HARLOW: What has Gregg Popovich done to influence you the most? Can you take me into a moment, a conversation, one line he said to you, one opportunity he gave you that has impacted you so much?

HAMMON: Well, obviously the opportunity hiring me is a huge opportunity. But the second really big opportunity that he gave me was to coach our summer league team.

HARLOW: You won?

HAMMON: Yes. So those are our young guys. Those are kind of the future. The one thing he said going into Vegas was, you be yourself. Yourself is good enough. Just be who you are. And you know, don't try to be me. Be you. And I thought those are simple but profound words.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Pretty sweet words. Phenomenal to meet her.

Becky Hammon, thank you so much for the time.

And also, just this summer, if you missed it, Hammon led the Spurs to victory for the 2015 Las Vegas Summer League. A win that earned her praise from President Obama, he tweeted, in part, "When women succeed, America succeeds as well."

You can see much of more of our "American Opportunity" series at CNNMoney.com/Americanopportunity.

Coming up next, tourism inspired by Donald Trump. Look at that beautiful place. I'd want to live there, right? It looks pretty great. Well, it's a Canadian island. Apparently they are getting flooded with calls from Americans who say they might want to move there, too, if Trump is the next president. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:53:22] HARLOW: A Canadian deejay is reaching out to Americans pitching the good life on an island off of Nova Scotia. So what does this all have to do with GOP frontrunner Donald Trump?

Our Jeannie Moos has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Donald Trump deals with protesters.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Get them out.

MOOS: He doesn't mean out of the country. But for those who want to voluntarily leave --

ROB CALABRESE, CAPE BRETON RADIO DEEJAY: Hi, Americans. Donald Trump may become the president of your country. If that happens and you decide to get the hell out of here, might I suggest moving to Cape Breton Island?

MOOS (on camera): First of all, where is Cape Breton?

(Voice-over): It's in Nova Scotia, along Canada's Eastern Coast. Boy, is it beautiful.

CALABRESE: And nobody has a handgun.

MOOS: Cape Breton radio deejay, Rob Calabrese, is no Donald Trump fan. His "If Trump Wins" Web site started as a joke. Come on up to Cape Breton.

CALABRESE: Where women can get abortions. Muslim people can roam freely. And the only walls are holding up the roofs of our extremely affordable houses.

MOOS: There are answers to questions like, how do I immigrate to Canada? They will often --

CALABRESE: They want to know if they can bring their cats to Canada.

MOOS: The Web site has been flooded with hundreds and hundreds of inquiries.

(On camera): Would you consider moving to Canada if Donald Trump were elected president?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm thinking Berlin.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would do it in a heartbeat. I would.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. I'm an American. I'm going to stay here no matter who is president.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm moving to Europe if he's elected president.

MOOS: But in Cape Breton, they need people.

CALABRESE: Absolutely. We have an unsustainable population decline.

[18:55:01] MOOS: Housing is a bargain. We saw a three-bedroom waterside houses selling for $200,000, even $25,000.

Sure, Rob has gotten some angry e-mails from Trump supporters.

CALABRESE: Why would anyone want to move to Canada? Especially some isolated known-for-nothing place like Cape Breton?

MOOS: Well, it's known for something now. Cape Breton's motto, "your heart will never leave."

TRUMP: Get him the hell out of here, will you, please?

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN.

TRUMP: Bye-bye.

MOOS: New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Jeanne Moos, thank you so much for that. I appreciate it and a programming note for everyone. All of the presidential candidates will be on CNN this week. First up, see Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton in the South Carolina Democratic presidential town hall that is moderated by Chris Cuomo. That is Tuesday night, 8:00 p.m. Eastern only right here on CNN.

Then on Thursday, it is the last Republican presidential debate before Super Tuesday. Wolf Blitzer moderates, live from Texas. February 25th, 8:30 p.m. only right here. Much, much more election coverage straight ahead, including Donald

Trump celebrating what he calls a beautiful win in South Carolina while Hillary Clinton gets a jolt of momentum from Nevada. Next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: All right. 7:00 p.m. Eastern, 4:00 p.m. out West. This is CNN, I'm Poppy Harlow. Thank you so much for joining us.

Five men, five men now elbowing for the Republican presidential nomination.